The present invention relates to a method and an, apparatus for automatically analyzing reaction solutions formed by mixing samples with reagents respectively corresponding to analysis items.
In the conventional automatic analyzing apparatus, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,433, for example, reagents are prepared before analyzing samples in correspondence to the number of the samples and the number of analysis items required for the measurement, and then the analysis of the samples is started. In such a conventional apparatus, when a sample required to be analyzed immediately or a sample to be analyzed normally is added or when a measured value of a sample having been analyzed is an abnormal value, it is required to analyze again the same sample already analyzed. If the number of samples to be analyzed exceeds the predetermined number of the samples which was estimated in advance due to an unpredictable factor, there arises a problem that the amounts of the reagents become insufficient for the analysis.
Since not all the reagents become insufficient in their amounts, the analysis can be continued as to some analysis items corresponding to the sufficient reagent(s). However, as to the insufficient reagent, the analysis result of the analysis item associated with such a reagent becomes insufficient since the reagent cannot be added during the analysis operation. Accordingly, in this case, an operator exchanges a reagent bottle associated with the analysis item having insufficient remaining amounts of reagent for a new one, then selects the sample(s) corresponding to the analysis item having not been analyzed due to the shortage of the reagent, and analyzes the sample(s) again.
When the automatic analyzing apparatus is in an operation state for performing a sample delivering operation, a reagent delivering operation and a light-measurement operation after starting the analysis of samples, a disk (hereinafter referred to as a reagent disk) mounting a reagent pipetting unit and reagent bottles thereon is operated. Accordingly, a reagent bottle cannot be exchanged during the analysis operation even if the remaining amount of the reagent bottle which has been provided before the analysis operation becomes small.
Thus, when the remaining amount of a reagent within a reagent bottle for a particular analysis item becomes small and the analysis using the reagent has not been completed, an operator is required to push a sampling stop key thereby to shift the automatic analyzing apparatus to a standby state, and thereafter to register a new reagent bottle.
In this manner, there arises a problem that the efficiency for analyzing samples is degraded since an operator is required to perform such an additional troublesome analysis operation and to analyze the same samples twice.
Further, in a case where, although an amount of the reagent was sufficient for analyzing a predetermined number of samples, a sample(s) to be analyzed is added or an analysis item(s) as to a sample(s) that has already been analyzed once is required to be analyzed again (that is, when a measured value of an analysis item for a sample that has been analyzed is an abnormal value, the analysis is performed again as to the same analysis item of the same sample so as to verify the correct value), it is required to shift the automatic analyzing apparatus to the standby state from a present operation state or a sampling stop state thereby to register a new reagent bottle.